Demon athletes set to electrify home crowd at Leon Johnson Invitational

Natchitoches Times

Apr 24, 2014 | 239 views | 0 | 1 | |

In the only home appearance of 2014 for the Northwestern State track and field teams Saturday, All-Americans Justin Walker and Gabe White, school record-holders Quiana Griffin and Consuela Lindsay and 2014 Southland Indoor triple jump champion Por’sha Thomas will be in the spotlight at The Leon Johnson NSU Invitational.

Competition in field events begins at 10 a.m. with races starting at 1 p.m. at the Walter P. Ledet Track Complex. Teams from Louisiana-Monroe, Louisiana Tech, Louisiana-Lafayette and Southeastern Louisiana will join Northwestern State in the meet.

The women’s hammer and men’s javelin will be staged beginning at 10 a.m.

The women’s long jump, pole vault and the men’s high jump, including Natchitoches Central product Quinton Helaire, start at 10:30 a.m.

The 12 running events include Walker’s specialties, the 100 and 200 meter dashes, where he is in the top 25 nationally.

Racing should take about four hours to complete after the 1 p.m. start with the 3000 meter steeplechase and the 4x100 meter relay.

“Our athletes are very excited about competing at home,” said first-year head coach Mike Heimerman. “It’s also the first college competition on our new surface and I will be surprised if we don’t have some great competition and some fast times and great marks.”

The order of running events after the 4x100 picks up with the 1500, the 100/110 meter hurdles, the 400, 100, 800, the 400 hurdles, the 200 and 5000 and the 4x400 relay, with women’s races first in each event.

It is the final competition for Northwestern State prior to the Southland Conference Championships May 9-11 in Conway, Ark.

The meet was not held last year due to the resurfacing of the track at the Walter P. Ledet Track and Field Complex.

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